The Division III student-athlete experience is focused on "following your passions and developing your potential." From multi-sport athletes to world-class internships, student-athletes who compete at the Division III level have experiences and memories that last a lifetime. In celebration of Division III Week, we connected with sophomore Tyler Loughmiller (Terre Haute North /Brazil, Indiana), an offensive lineman for the DePauw University football team, who shared his silver lining despite losing a season due to the pandemic.
"DePauw was just one of those places; I drove by it about a million times, being fairly local, just fifteen minutes down the road. We drove through campus a lot. I honestly never really thought about coming to DePauw until I got a call from one of the football coaches, actually."
Loughmiller's decision to become a DePauw Tiger was swift between the proximity to family and the connections made with the football coaching staff and players. Though family and football played a large part in his decision to attend DePauw, a third component to the university impacted his decision - DIRTcar UMP Modified racing.
"Being in the cockpit is... it's a whole different feeling… You're in a space that's big enough for one person; it's you, the steering wheel, and the pedals."
The cockpit of a DIRTcar UMP Modified is something of an oasis for Loughmiller; the dusty dirt oval of the Lincoln Park Speedway in Greencastle, Indiana, has been his home away from home since the age of six. "It's always been something I enjoyed, and it's always been a family thing," states Loughmiller when asked about his start in DIRTcar racing.
"I love spending time with my family, so it's just one of those things that you, you go to the track with your family, you come home with your family. A good or bad night, your family is always there for you."
Though his love for sports began on the football field at four-and-a-half, Loughmiller's desire to work alongside his dad on cars and go racing with him led to unparalleled competitiveness as he entered the world of racing as a quarter midget driver. From the very beginning of his quarter midget career, he found success on the track. Loughmiller notched two March Madness Championship wins, won a USAC.25 championship in Heavy 160 and Heavy World Formula, and just before moving up a level, collected 27 consecutive feature wins.
The success on the track continued as Tyler moved to drive an Indiana Super Stock in 2012. At just 11 years old, he raced in his first Street Stock at Lincoln Park Speedway, making him the youngest ever driver to run the race.
"The tracks we ride on are generally quarter-mile ovals, that's pretty much the average size, they are all dirt banked ovals, and features are 20 to 25 laps around the oval."
Since his start in the racing world, Loughmiller has been named Rookie of the Year at the Bloomington Speedway and Lincoln Park Speedway during his Super Stock season in 2013. He was named Rookie of the Year once again at Bloomington Speedway for his first season as a UMP Modified driver in 2014.
"A lot of mental processing goes into racing because you have to think of what other drivers may do; you have to think about what you are going to do to react to what they are going to do. And you also have to react to the track and the way that it is."
With over half of his life spent around the race track Loughmiller's dedication to DIRTcar racing is evident and has impacted how he takes on tasks both in and out of the oval.
Having the ability to play football, pursue a degree, and race embodies the Division III experience in its entirety. Student-athletes at DePauw and other Division III institutions are encouraged to explore and seek opportunities to expand their educational experience beyond the classroom.
When asked what he plans to declare as his major, Loughmiller responded, "I'm still fairly undecided; I've got two majors down. And what I want to do with them is not necessarily, it's related, but it's not. I want to do econ or communication. But what I want to do with these is not your typical econ or communication major. I would love to be in like sports management or an athletic administration."
"What I hope to gain from my college athletic experience is, I mean, of course, a lot of connections that you will have for a long time down the road. The next thing is if I end up going into a career like sports management, I think that being on (a team) and playing football in college will definitely help that."
Though his second season as a DePauw Tiger was put on hold due to the pandemic, the experiences of his first year with the football team still loom, with the emotions of last season's Monon Bell win at the forefront of his time as a Tiger.
"Even though I wasn't playing; Monon, the whole game made me feel like I was actually on the field, just because of all the emotions. The ups and downs of the game was very exciting last year."
With this year looking incredibly different from the last, Loughmiller was able to take advantage of his fall and continue to race. Between classes, practices, and SAE fraternity responsibilities throughout the week, he took to the track on the weekends. During the course of the 2020 season, Loughmiller and his crew amassed seven top-three finishes, 15 top-five finishes, and 24 top tens out of the 28 races ran.
This 2021 spring season, the Tigers went undefeated, beating Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, and Greenville by double digits, creating excitement and increased dedication to put in the work on and off the field this fall.
"I felt that the spring football season helped out tremendously with catching back up with my teammates, competing, and getting back into football! With all of the practices and three games, it made it feel like a fall season. This fall, I am looking forward to getting back out on the field and working hard with my buddies!"
